In February, 38 Studios and its subsidiary Big Huge Games released the single player fantasy RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. It got solid reviews and was one of the best selling games of that month in the US. Now 38 Studios could be in serious trouble. The WPRI.com website reports that the governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, and his staff have been meeting for days with 38 Studios team members at the company's offices in the town of Providence.

The government of Rhode Island gave 38 Studios a $75 million loan in 2010 to move the company's headquarters from Massachusetts to Rhode Island. In return, the company, founded by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, promised the state it would hire 450 people to work on its second game project. It's a fantasy MMO game, known only by its code name "Project Copernicus" (Big Huge Games, which made Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, is based in Maryland).

However, 38 Studios has yet to release any concrete details on Project Copernicus and has never offered a release date for the game. Governor Chafee, who opposed the loan while he was a candidate, now says, "We’re concerned and just doing everything possible to ensure that 38 Studios stays part of the Rhode Island community. We’re working on different issues with them."